1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a reversing device for the movable parts of a railway switch, in which movable wing rails are, in their end positions, alternately engaging the frog and are supported in their engaging position by supporting rods extending in the longitudinal direction of the wing rails and being slideably guided on the sleepers (i.e., ties) or, respectively, base plates in the longitudinal direction of the wing rails.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Railway switches for Vignole's rails comprising a frog and movable wing rails of the initially mentioned type have become known from AT-PS No. 328 488. The movable wing rails serve, in this case, the purpose of avoiding within the area of the frog tip any interruption of the travelling edge detracting from the travelling comfort, and there have become known more or less expensive constructions for supporting the wing rails in their position of just engaging the frog. In the construction for supporting the wing rails which has become known from AT-PS No. 328 488, switching operation of this switch was performed in a usual manner and a push rod extending in the shifting direction has been connected with the parts to be shifted. The supporting rods may extend over several sleepers and may thus provide a corresponding safety also in railway tracks being travelled upon with high speed.
From U.S. Pat. No. 1,269,444 there has become known a construction in which reversal of the switch is effected by means of wedges acting between rigid abutments on the sleepers and on the webs of the rails. In such constructions, the shifting drive means must articulatedly be linked to the wedges, because the wedges must be maintained in contact on the rail web. Exact guiding of the reversal devices is not easily possible in such a construction and, above all, a defined end position cannot easily be assured. In the known construction, the wedges must be swivelled together with the wing rails and on account of this swivelling movement there result, on account of the geometry of the link connection, variations of length within the drive connection and thus the known construction appears to not afford the required safety on railway tracks which are travelled upon with high speed.